France is facing growing unrest as student protests spread across the country, leading to school closures, clashes with police and thousands of arrests. The protests began over teacher shortages, overcrowded classrooms and poor school buildings.
The movement has now reached hundreds of schools. French authorities said more than 5,000 people, mostly teenagers, have been arrested since the protests began. Hundreds of police officers have also been injured during clashes.
The situation became more serious on Monday when a 15-year-old student lost his hand in Lens after reportedly picking up a police dispersal grenade. Authorities have opened an investigation into the incident.
The unrest has led to the phrase “France has fallen” spreading widely on social media. However, some viral videos shared with this claim are old or unrelated to the current protests. Fact-checkers have identified footage from earlier events being falsely presented as recent scenes from France.
France is now facing pressure to address students’ concerns while restoring order as protests continue nationwide.
